This application is co-pending with the application of same filing date for the inventor's variety of Canna plant named ‘ORANGE CHOCOLATE’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 12/803,912).
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Canna, also known as Canna Lily or Indian Shot, which is grown as an ornamental annual or perennial, according to climate zone, for use in planted containers and in the garden and landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Canna×generalis, and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’.
The inventor has carried out a Canna breeding program at the inventor's nursery in Kibbutz Saad, Israel since 2005. The breeding program is aimed at producing new varieties of Canna with useful commercial characteristics: primarily new varieties which exhibit a dwarf habit with colorful foliage and bearing well-presented flowers. ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ arose and was selected by the inventor in 2006 as an open pollinated seedling whose male parent is unknown and whose female parent is Canna ‘Wine and Roses’ (unpatented). The inventor used this same parentage to develop the inventor's co-pending variety ‘ORANGE CHOCOLATE’. Both co-pending varieties exhibit almost identical habit and foliage color. However, the flowers of ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ are deep yellow in color, whereas the flowers of ‘ORANGE CHOCOLATE’ are bright orange in color.
‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ was first asexually reproduced by the inventor in Kibbutz Saad, Israel in 2006. Asexual propagation was accomplished by division of the rhizome. Since that time, under careful observation, the distinguishing characteristics of ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ have been determined stable and uniform, and to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.
The variety of Canna which is considered by the inventor to most closely resemble ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ is the parent plant, Canna ‘Wine and Roses’. ‘Wine and Roses’ and ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ both exhibit dark olive green to purple brown colored foliage. However, the height of ‘Wine and Roses’ is approximately 75 cm-90 cm, whereas the height of ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ is 60 cm-80 cm. In addition, the flowers of ‘Wine and Roses’ are rose pink in color whereas the flowers of ‘CHOCOLATE SUNRISE’ are deep yellow in color.